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It's no secret that 2008 has been a massive, epic failure of a year. With a couple of glaring exceptions, practically everything that could possible have gone wrong has gone miserably and completely wrong. It's almost as if the last 8 years was nothing more than a time release poison pill set to take effect at approximately... um, what time is it right now?
You name it and it probably sucked - why, so much lameness happened all at once and all over the year that when pausing to consider just how gruesome 2008 has been, one doesn't feel excitement or anticipation for the new year so much as relief that the current one is finally over and we weren't killed in the process. Think about 2008 too much and the risk of injury, mental and physical, is severe.
Fortunately, we at LAist are willing to take that risk, make that sacrifice and deliver to you, our loyal readers, the definitive guide to the dumbest, most cringeworthy, most infuriating nonsense that made 2008 the lame ass crap year that it was. So eat your black eyed peas, count off your resolutions, drink a toast guzzle an entire bottle of booze to the new (and hopefully better) year, and then enjoy this belated holiday gift: The Top Ten Worst Things about the soon to be departed year 2008.
7) China To Little Girl: You Ain't Got No Alibi.
Talking about the garish nationalistic fetish fest that was the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympiad is boring. Perhaps you liked it and thought it was a spectacular way for China to announce its reemergence as a major world power. Or perhaps, like me, you thought it was a tacky, overblown spectacle filled with a tactile self consciousness as though it were designed not for the world, but as propaganda aimed at China's millions of sweatshop workers slaving away so that westerners can have cheaper shit, which means, probably, that the big musical number translates into English as "God Bless The USA" by Lee Greenwood. Either way, it's got fuck all to do with the price of tea in China, and I'm over it.
What I'm not over, however, is the sleazy action China took in preparing for the ceremony. Let's let the information speak for itself:
A 7-year-old Chinese girl was not good-looking enough for the Olympics opening ceremony, so another little girl with a pixie smile lip-synched "Ode to the Motherland," a ceremony official said _ the latest example of the lengths Beijing took for a perfect start to the Summer Games.
Tacky China, just tacky. Look, we know you've been racing to catch up to the rest of the world ever since you finally managed to kick out the foreigners who had meddled so destructively in your culture. But, in case you didn't know, there are some things you're allowed to skip. 1990, for example. Milli Vanilli is widely understood to be a significant embarrassment, not to mention an outdated reference that even I am reluctant to use in pursuit of a cheap laugh. What's next? Will you be importing Downtown Julie Brown for public events? I suggest that you ignore the next decade's worth of cultural mining, and instead, skip ahead and steal everything America has done since the year 2000. And no, this isn't a pathetic attempt to trick you into severely damaging your economy and hurting your ability to compete on the world stage9. Of course not!
Also, you probably made a little girl cry and that's just wack, whether in English, Mandarin or Cantonese10.
FOOTNOTES:
1) And to a lesser extent artistically but a greater extent commercially, Madonna.
2) I will never refer to her as "Beyonce. She hasn't earned the one-name trademark.
3) as in "dick". Zing!
4) it's crap.
5) apologies to an old Family Guy episode for stealing that joke structure.
6) W/U to Molly7
7) W/U = word up, the much better version of H/T, or "hat tip".
8) Now That's What Call Cock Rock?
9) But seriously, China, could you try to be a less scary version of America's Ghost of Christmas' Future?
10) Confidential to Yang Peiyi: This crap still happens here too. However, you should watch Singin' in the Rain to be reassured that cheaters don't get to marry Gene Kelly. They're punished instead by marrying Pete Wentz. See also footnote 6.
11) Imagine what would have happened if he was obsessed with Michael J's other film from 1985. Would he be McFly White?
12) Not "that one".
13) Yes people, it was an affectation, like Dubya's cowboy hat. She doesn't really talk like that.
14) I lost a bet over Bristol's pregnancy. Look for my youtube video, as stipulated by the terms of the bet, in the next week or so.
15) Fuck prop 8. If you voted for it, fuck you too.
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Another fine series Ross.
I have a two questions for you. Why is "Sasha Fierce" doing a dance move that failed to inspire when the Back Street Boys did it after stealing the move from Popeye the Sailor? Maybe being able to answer that question will get you off of the misfired bet.
What was the bet?
When the hilarity about Governor Palin first begain to emerge, particularly her husband's ties to the AIP, and the many rumors about the alleged maternity of trig, I bet a friend of mine that she would end up dropping out of the campaign. This was a tongue in cheek bet since people such as her have no shame but it seemed a fair one, given the sheer number of issues surrounding her. The loser of the bet was required to post a video praising the winner, to youtube.
Then, in mid october, we doubled down - now the bet, one I was convinced I would win, was that Britol would have a "tragic" miscarriage, or that some other reason would present itself for why the baby wouldn't be born - the reason, of course, if that there were lots of delicious rumors that the Bristol pregnancy was basically a lie to cover up the alleged Trip maternity.
Yes, yes, I know it's a *unlikely* rumor, but even so, I love a gossipy bet. All in good fun at the expense of others, and so forth. Anyway, with Bristol's recent delivery, I lost, so I have to post two vids praising my friend. Sigh.
I would like to add an update to my list. Had I read this before publishing, I would have added it as a honorable mention:
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/12/gonzo_im_a_casualty_of_the_war.php
Alberto Gonzalez yesterday referred to himself as "a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror." This because, thanks to his idiocy and basic lack of humanity, he cannot find a job. No law firm will touch him.
You mean Alberto, if the president does it, it's not a crime, Gonzalez. Yes, I remember that guy. I think he set some sort of "I do not recall" record in front of Congress.
a tour de force
I am so glad "Sasha Fierce" made your list. You expressed my sentiments exactly with that one. Just sad.
And I thought the Chinese Olympics stunt was pretty sad too.
Thank you RAL, that was cathartic.
Whoa, you guys redesigned! I like it.
Also, Ross, thank you for this. Especially for #1. Thank you.